


The Anniversary

by thewordwench



Category: Bright (2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Human/Orc - Freeform, Kissing, Love, Married Couple, Orc Culture, Orc Relationship, Romance, Sex, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 10:23:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15638814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewordwench/pseuds/thewordwench
Summary: Max "Blue Carnage" Carlyle, the first orc to fight in the UFC, has been married to his wife for twenty years. Although at first, he was going to celebrate in the usual manner, his children convinced him to go all out for his anniversary and surprise his wife by trying something new with unexpected results...Blue Carlyle is a character from Netflix's Bright universe. He was in a video Netflix made to promote the movie Bright. If you want to know more about him you should watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btnr3rsnQUU&list=LL6pa-7Hcyp138Isi1Jx_QAQ&index=2&t=0son youtube. I stumbled across this video and liked Blue instantly. I knew I had to write something about him and it turned into this.**Disclaimer: I don't know a thing about the UFC or professional fighting. This fic really isn't really about any of that. It's about an orc trying to do romantic things for his wife. Mmkay?**Also-- thanks for the love on my other fic First Sight pt. 1. Go and read it you want if you haven't already.





	The Anniversary

Max “Blue Carnage” Carlyle strolled into his kitchen looking very pleased with himself, so much so that it made his youngest child Arianna look up at him in interest, her blue speckled ears twitching, intrigued.   
“You look happy Daddy.”   
“I am happy, sweetheart,” her father chuckled and patted her head. “Daddy is very happy.”   
“Why?” the six-year-old orc demanded, abandoning the book she had been reading.   
“Because I’ve picked the perfect movie to watch with Mommy on our anniversary!” Blue beamed, his tusks protruding out from his lower lip. “Pretty Woman! It’s your mother’s favorite! It’s going to best the best anniversary yet! She’ll be so happy.”   
“Oh!” Ari exclaimed, feeding off of her father’s excitement.  
“Yeah, baby!” Blue beamed, coming over to the kitchen table where she sat and scooping her up. “We’ll have wine and snuggle up on the couch and then maybe Mommy will give your Daddy her special present.”   
His slitted nostrils flared in heated anticipation.   
“Special present?” his six-year-old laughed. “What will that be Daddy?”  
“Oh erm… maybe a new necktie or somethin’ baby…” Blue coughed. For a moment he had forgotten who he’d been talking to and now realized that perhaps mentioning that the gift he was anticipating from his wife involved no clothing was not something that he should discuss with his young daughter.   
“That doesn’t sound very exciting Daddy…” his little girl said, her yellow eyes so wide with disappointment that Blue couldn’t help but chuckle.   
“It will be for Daddy,” he assured her with a secret little grin to himself.   
“Mom’s not going to be impressed by that,” a different voice said flatly.   
Blue and Arianna turned to face Blue’s eldest child, Max Carlyle Jr., a bored looking and seemingly permanently unimpressed male orc of fifteen. Blue sighed and recalled the days when being the first orc to fight in the UFC or merely the fact that he was his MJ’s father was enough to elicit his son’s love and respect. Nowadays, it seemed there was little any member of MJ’s family could do that wouldn’t perpetuate an eye-roll or snide remark. I guess this is what happens when your kids become teenagers, Blue thought with a sigh. I never thought I’d think this, but I miss the days when he was in diapers.   
“Mom’s not going to be impressed by any of that,” MJ repeated and rolled his yellow eyes as if to punctuate his thought. He leaned against the kitchen counter, smartphone in hand, and then busied himself with whoever he had been texting.   
Blue exhaled and tried not to keep his voice even in spite of the fact that he kind of wanted to smack the phone from his son’s hand. He took a moment to remember the words of his wife: He’s just going through a phase bear, try not to get reeled in.   
“Excuse me but I think after being married to the same woman for twenty years, I would no a little more than you about what she likes bub,” he said pointedly.   
MJ’s ears flattened against his head. He hated when his Dad called him “bub”. It was something he only did when they were annoyed with each other which was more and more often these days. He heaved a heavy sigh as if he thought his father was the biggest fool in the world before he made his reply.   
“Exactly Dad, twenty years and all you’ve got to show for is Pretty Woman? That’s pretty weak.”   
“Mom does like that movie though,” came the voice of Baden, Blue’s middle child, a sweet-tempered male orc of eleven. He still had the loyalty of boyhood in him and thought his mother and father hung the moon. He could be so sweet sometimes that it made Blue a little emotional, making him nostalgic for the days when MJ felt the same way. Blue only hoped that Baden wouldn’t also be afflicted with such a bad case of teenagedom when the time came.   
“Yeah but think about it,” MJ argued. “Mom and Dad have been married for two decades. It’s kinda a big deal and all Dad’s got to show for it is some chick flick.”   
“Your mother’s favorite chick flick!” Blue interjected.   
“Lame,” MJ stated.   
“What’s a decade?” Arianna wanted to know.   
“It means ten years,” Baden told her. “And Mom and Dad have been married for two of them!”   
“Wow!” Arianna marveled.   
“Let me guess,” MJ went on. “You’re probably gonna take her to the same bar you always take her to and have the same lame dinner. Then back here for some wine and a movie and lights out by ten, right?”   
“No, Mommy’s gonna give Daddy a present!” Arianna beamed. “A new tie!”   
“That sounds nice,” Baden said innocently.   
MJ’s brow-ridge raised.   
“Riiiight.”   
Blue huffed. He had had just about enough of being sassed.   
“Well, if you’re such a romantic know-it-all then what do you suggest, huh smart guy?”   
“Well, I’d at least start by taking her to a better restaurant,” his son replied. “I mean come on Dad, you used to be kind of famous, can’t you use that to take Mom someplace fancy?”   
“What are you all talking about in here?” came a warm feminine voice. A short and plump African American woman strolled into the room, her dark eyes sparkling. Mrs. Zelda Maria Smith-Carlyle.  
It still amazed Blue that even after twenty years, he still found his wife to be the most stunning woman he’d ever seen. And she had been a damn good partner and friend from day one. From taking a chance on a broke young orc who dreamt of fighting in the UFC (with very slim chances), to dealing with the ups and downs of the career, all while managing to maintain a strong marriage and having three babies, Zelda had somehow miraculously remained patient through the whole thing. Even when at first, no one would train with Blue and they had no money and had to live out of their car for a little while. Flash forward to now, after a groundbreaking, if not moderately successful career, Blue had given her a nice house, stable gains, and a little bit of fame (though she’d preferred to stay out of the limelight for as much as possible during his career and still, after his retirement). Yet, he still felt like he owed her a lot. He knew the scores would never be anywhere close to even. They were older now, in their mid-forties. Although Blue was still a behemoth of an orc, his washboard abs had melted into a prominent gut (compliments of Zelda’s delicious cooking). Red carpets and cameras had dissolved into checking the kids’ math homework and family trips to the grocery store. Late-night training sessions at the gym and fans screaming as he fought in the ring had become early bedtimes and snuggle sessions on the couch. Though he would always have the fame and respect from his career and would occasionally be recognized and prompted to sign something, his UFC days were long over. Still, Zelda didn’t seem to mind. She didn’t cut and run when the camera’s stopped flashing as he feared she might or turn her nose up in disgust when he had gotten chubby.   
“I’ve enjoyed the ride Blue,” she would say whenever he asked her about it, patting his belly affectionately. “But Lord, it does feel good to get some rest.”   
She loved being a mother to their children, not at all deterred but the fact that they looked nothing like her, despite having come from her womb. She kissed and hugged and cheered them on, yellow eyes, tusks, speckled skin, and all.   
“It doesn’t matter what the rumors are,” she’d say now and then. “Those three are my babies. I have the scars and stretch marks to prove it!”   
Besides, Blue himself could see bits of her mother in them everywhere, whether it was that wan and knowing smile Arianna gave him whenever he caught her doing something she shouldn’t. That friendly grin Baden gave when he was talking about his day at school. Or that smirk MJ did whenever he proved his father wrong during an argument. They each had some of her expressions and mannerisms and it made Blue’s heart swell.   
He gazed at his wife, feeling a little guilty. She was wearing her hair relaxed at the moment and had it cut short, falling in silky waves across her head. She was wearing an orange shade of lipstick that made her full lips look simply delectable. Blue loved her wide hips and small, pudgy hands. Damn, if he wasn’t just completely head-over-heels for this woman. She deserved the world and the moon and… his smug son was right… she deserved a hell of a lot more than Pretty Woman.   
“We were just talking about what was for dinner tonight,” Blue lied. He had just decided that he was going to make sure their twentieth wedding anniversary was the most romantic event of Zelda’s life and that it was going to be a surprise. He only prayed his kids would go along with it. At first they all looked a little confused, but then quickly caught on. Even little Arianna seemed keen to it which made Blue smile on the inside. His kids were so damn smart.   
“My famous lasagna of course,” Zelda grinned. “I hope you’re all hungry.”   
The kids all nodded with enthusiasm which in turn made their mother smile. Later, while Zelda was cooking, Blue and his children conspired in the living room.   
“Look, I wanna plan something different for your mother for our anniversary but I need your help,” Blue explained in orcish. “And I need you guys to keep it a secret!”   
MJ looked pleased that his father seemed to be following his advice, while Baden seemed almost giddy at the idea of being in on a secret that not only involved his father but also his older brother. Only young Arianna looked concerned.   
“We can’t tell Mommy?” the little orc fretted.   
“Not at first sweetie but it’s a good surprise, I promise!” Blue told her. “When Mommy find out she’ll be so happy! We just have to keep it a secret for a little while.”   
“This is never going to work,” MJ sighed. “There’s no way she’ll be able to keep from telling Mom.”  
“Yes, she will!” Baden defended her. “Come on Ari, it’s like a good surprise. Like when we surprised you on your birthday! You liked that, didn’t you?”   
The little orc nodded, consoled. She beamed, her little tusks poked out joyously.   
“How long do we have to wait to tell her Daddy?” she giggled.   
“Just a few more days little one,” Blue promised.

But it turns out they all might have overcompensated in trying not to give anything away as Zelda kept looking at them all suspiciously during dinner.   
“Good Lord, y’all are very quiet tonight,” she said as they all silently chewed their food. “I hope everything tastes okay.”   
“Everything’s delicious babe,” Blue said in a voice that he hoped sounded convincing. “Just like you.”   
The kids groaned as he leaned down to kiss her but Zelda seemed pleased.   
“Oh, you,” she laughed and batted his arm playfully. 

“That was close, wasn’t it Daddy?” Arianna said later in the evening.   
“Mmm hmm,” Blue nodded. He did know what he would have done if he had been the one to ruin the suprise so early on. “But we all know what we have to do. Ari your job is to keep your mother distracted. If she ever gets suspicious, try to think of something that will take her mind of it. Baden, you’re gonna be the lookout. Make sure to keep an eye out for your mother while your older brother and I are planning. And MJ, you’re gonna help me come up with stuff to do with your Mom.”   
“Ugh,” MJ rolled his eyes. “Why do you need my help.”   
“Oh, I get it, a little while ago you were Mister Smart Guy who knows more about romance than your old man and now you don’t wanna deliver, is that it?”   
“Okay, okay,” MJ huffed. “Fine, I’ll help...”   
“Yay!” Ari clapped.   
“Mom’s gonna be so surprised!” Baden exclaimed.   
“Whatever,” said MJ. 

 

Later that night Blue was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to notice he was being watched. From her spot next to him and without looking up from her book his wife suddenly said, “I can practically hear all those gears turning in your head. A penny for your thoughts.”   
Blue blinked himself back to reality before turning and smiling down at her. She still wasn’t looking at him, but she was grinning as she gazed at her book, looking like a snack with her round spectacles perched on the edge of her cute nose, her do-rag tied tightly around her head, and her thin pajama top hugging her large breasts. Blue felt like he couldn’t tell her what he was actually thinking: about being nervous about impressing her and truly displaying the depth of his love for her during the next few days, which in turn lead to deeper feelings about whether or not he had ended up being the husband she had deserved after all these years and wanted to thank her for being so patient and so good both for and to him. No, he felt like admitting all of that would be laying it on a little too thick for a typical weekday evening. So instead he just gave a small smile and talked about a subject that he and Zelda talked about often.   
“Our son thinks I’m lame.”   
“Our son thinks everyone is lame,” she responded with a chuckle.   
“He doesn’t think you’re lame,” Blue pointed out.   
“Well of course not, I’m his mother.”   
She gave him one of those signature Zelda smiles that reminded him of when they were young and dating and he would get all shy and blushy with her and she would gently tease him and then give him one of those smiles where light seemed to explode from her face and the corners of her eyes got all crinkly. Now, as an older woman Zelda had slight crow’s feet which only succeeded to make that crinkly-eyed smile even more breathtaking in Blue’s opinion. He leaned down an in the orcish fashion, pressed his forehead lightly against her and drank in her sweet vanilla and cocoa- butter scent, the best thing in the world.  
Jirak wept, he loved her so much.   
She seemed to pick up on the fact that his heart was feeling a little heavy and put a hand on his rough cheek.   
“Are you really concerned about MJ, because it really is just a phase. He’ll grow out of it one day baby, I promise. You know teenagers and all their hormones. He probably just has growing pains.”   
Blue thought there might be some truth to her words. Even in the past year, MJ had shot up to be almost as tall as himself (at nearly six and a half feet). For months MJ had been growing and growing, shooting out his clothes and shoes and contributing to eating his mother out of house and home. Unfortunately, his attitude seemed to be growing with him.   
“I just miss the days when he was my little buddy y’know?” Blue said and this was definitely the truth. “Taking him to boxing matches, reading him storybooks, going fishing, tossing the ball around. Father-son stuff… stuff my dad never did with me.”   
Zelda kissed his cheek.   
“I know baby,” she said earnestly. “I know.”   
Blue’s own childhood had been something of a classic disaster. He had grown up a poor only child to an alcoholic mother and a father that spent more time doing drugs than tossing the ball around with his son. His father had been in and out of his life from the time Blue was born to when he turned about six and walked out for good. Besides aching for the company of other siblings, Blue also longed for a father who would actually be there for him. His eventual passion of boxing had, of course, jump-started his life into better directions, but the hurt from his childhood was still there. Classic sappy Daddy-issues type bullshit Blue thought, but hey, there was a reason all that shit was so cliche, because it had happened way too many times to too many young boys. When he had met Zelda and they had decided to start a family, Blue had been determined to have a tight family dynamic. And while he knew that his son wasn’t likely to turn to drugs and disappear like his own father, he still got a little sad now and then when he thought about he and son drifting apart.   
“MJ’s a good boy and he really does love you,” Zelda was saying. “What you two need is some bonding time. -A project or something that you both can work on together.”   
Blue smiled to himself. He supposed planning the perfect anniversary in secret with MJ would do just fine.   
“There’s my favorite crooked smile,” Zelda said softly. One of Blue’s tusks jutted off to the left while the other poked straight up and the difference was made more prominent when he grinned. When his career has allowed him the finances to fix his bad teeth, Zelda allowed the oral surgeons to fix everything but his one slanted tusk.   
“I fell in love with that crooked smile after all,” she’d said. “And I’d like to continue looking at it.”   
Blue drew himself closer to her as she took off her glasses, put down her book, and curled into him. He snaked a large blue hand under her pajama top, across her soft tummy, and over to one of her breasts which he held gently. She sighed a little as he slowly caressed it. He loved the way she felt, so small and smooth and soft.   
“How’d you get so smart?” he murmured, his voice a low rumble.   
“Mmm, years of practice,” she murmured. Then she greatly surprised him but plunging her hands down his PJ pants and gripping his quickly hardening length.   
“Zelda!” he grunted and then chuckled a little. He hadn’t planned on starting anything by grabbing her breasts, he’d just wanted to touch her. But that was just another thing he loved about Zelda. She was so full of surprises and was often ready to go at a moment’s notice.   
“Do you want me to back off?” she murmured. She gripped him in her fist, ran her fingers down him, stroked the tip of him, all while her doe brown eyes gazed up at him innocently.   
Blue’s nostrils flared. He could smell her want and her heat coming off her skin. Without really thinking about it, his hand began rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger while his other hand snaked down into her pajama shorts and grazed her folds. Call it a husband’s instincts. She opened her legs a little more so he could get in, still, his fingers only stroked her folds gently. He honestly wasn’t trying to tease her, it was just a little hard to concentrate when she was stroking her thumb over his tip ever so slightly. His cock began to twitch and pulse under her touch. He exhaled sharply and a few minutes later he was on top of her, aroused and all too willing. His big hands moved to quickly remove her PJ bottoms and panties. One hand then secured her in place while his other hand ripped off his own PJ bottoms to reveal all ten rock hard inches of his lust for her.   
“Oh, Mama what am I gonna with you?” he moaned, using the nickname he called her specifically in situations like these. He worked her a little with his fingers until she was good and wet and ready, then he lined himself up.   
“Take me my bear,” she demanded with a similar nickname as his tip poked its way through her entrance. “Take me.”  
*

Tonight was the night.   
If Blue was going to be perfectly honest, he was terrified.   
He recalled feeling a similar way on his wedding night. It was by no means a flowery emotional day, surrounded by expensive decorations and weeping family members. It had been a late August evening on the California coastline. His fighting career was a fledgling dream on already tired wings. He had very little money from his previous gig as a gym janitor, most of which was being used to jumpstart his career. Fighting gear wasn’t cheap after all. His father hadn’t been there of course and his mother hadn’t even known about it, probably passed out drunk somewhere in her trailer miles away. Zelda’s parents hadn’t been there either as they had not exactly endorsed their daughter’s attachment to a foolhardy young orc with an impossible dream. Not to mention the fact that interracial relationships were not exactly welcomed or even legal in some places back then.   
It had been just himself and Zelda and a handful of friends, half drunk on some little beach. Blue had worn a graphic t-shirt with a tuxedo printed on it, while Zelda had opted to wear a white crop top and matching shorts. One of her friends had fashioned her a veil of sorts out of cheap tulle from the crafts store and some plastic flowers. Blue had proposed to her with a twisty tie from a loaf of bread a couple of weeks earlier as he had not been able to afford a ring. To an outsider the event must’ve looked pretty pathetic, but Blue knew in that moment as Zelda came striding across the beach towards him in her makeshift wedding outfit, proudly sporting the twisty tie on her finger like it was the Hope Diamond, that this moment was better than a concert at Madison Square Garden or the Met Gala, or private meeting with the queen a Buckingham Palace. Even after being able to buy her suitable diamond and having a “real” wedding at a big fancy church when they could afford it, Blue still looked back at their beach wedding as one of his most prized moments. Zelda still kept the twisty tie in her jewelry box, coveting it as one of her most prized possessions. They had been so young back then and everything had seemed too uncertain but after all this time, they had stood by their decision to love one another.   
Blue stood in the hallway and adjusted the collar of his sport coat anxiously. He took another glance at his watch and exhaled. They were going to be late.   
“Babe, you almost ready?”   
“Almost!” came her reply.   
When she finally appeared Blue’s breath caught in his chest. Her dark skin glowed against the fire engine red dress that hugged her curvy form, while her gold sandals matched the huge hoops that dangled in her ears. She grinned at him shyly at his flabbergasted expression.   
“What?”   
“Jirak’s ghost, honey, you look amazing.”   
“And what about you?” she laughed, tugging on the lapels of his sport coat.   
“Oh, please, my clothes are doing most of the work,” Blue scoffed. “But you-- oh, Zelda...”   
He grasped her hand and spun her around as his bright eyes examined every fine detail of her. She was wearing a perfume that smelled of cinnamon and vanilla, still, her natural scent poked through, Blue’s favorite. When he was done looking at her, he pulled her close to him, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.   
“Mmm, you’re so delicious,” he rumbled in her ear. “I just want a little taste of you…”   
“What happened to being late Mr. Punctual?” Zelda giggled, trying to wriggle out his arms to no avail. “Blue, you big fool, what are you doing? The kids could walk in at any moment!”   
“Fine, fine, we’ll save that for later,” Blue relented with a grin. “But in the meantime, do another little spin for me, Mama. Let me see!”   
“Oh, hush,” Zelda laughed. “I don’t know why you insisted on this dress. We seem a little overdressed for O’Flannery’s.”   
“Well, see that’s the thing,” Blue said with a sheepish grin. “We may not actually be going to O’Flannery’s.”   
Zelda raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”   
“It’s kind of a surprise,” Blue admitted.   
Zelda gave him a suspicious smile.  
“What on earth are you up to Blue Carlyle?” she wondered aloud, but she couldn’t even pretend to be mad. The combination of Blue’s crooked grin and the fact that he looked so handsome in his date duds, which included a black cabbie-cap which he wore backward on his head rendered her weak in the knees.   
“Wow, Mommy you look like a princess!” Ari suddenly cheered, bounding into the room.   
“Yeah, Mom you look really nice!” Baden agreed.   
“Thank you little ones,” Zelda grinned, kissing them both. “You don’t mind looking after them do you?”   
MJ, who had strolled into the living room after his younger siblings, shook his head.   
“Yeah, Mom it’s no problem. You look great. I hope you and Dad have a good time.”   
He said it with such ease and honesty that Zelda was for a moment, taken aback. And she didn’t miss the knowing look MJ shared with his father either. After saying goodnight to the kids and urging them to stay up too late, she let her husband lead her to the car, head whirling.   
“Remind me when our son turned into a grown up?” she wondered aloud Blue helped her up into the cab of his truck. “And since when do you two conspire?”   
Blue chuckled as he climbed into the driver’s side.   
“I promise you, baby, there was no conspiring. Just a little bit of planning.”   
It turned out that a lot of planning had been involved as MJ had insisted his father couldn’t just take his mother anywhere for their anniversary dinner.   
“No, Dad, Mom doesn’t like that kind of food. No, Dad, that place looks too stuffy! No, Dad, that place isn’t nice enough! Don’t you want to impress Mom?”   
By the end of it all Blue’s head was beginning to hurt, not just because he was tired of being spoken to like he was a four-year-old but also because of how many choices there ended up being. He’d had no idea that there we so many restaurants in LA. He recalled the days when a burger and fries from some drive-through had been enough to satisfy his girl, but he guessed he was behind the times. MJ had finally been satisfied by some fancy French restaurant, the name of which he could hardly pronounce. When Blue glanced at the name and princes of some of the items on the menu, his brow ridge had raised nearly impossibly high as he glanced at his son. But MJ would not budge on the decision.   
“Mom will like it,” he said.   
“Yeah but-”   
“Just order her that duck thing,” MJ had insisted. “Mom likes duck.”   
Blue supposed he shouldn’t be too irked by his son’s stubbornness on the subject. It really was quite sweet how fierce he was about what he thought his mother would and wouldn’t like. Plus, he hadn’t spent this much time with MJ in months and amongst their tiffs and arguments were little pockets of enjoyment and even a few laughs. Baden and Arianna also had a fun time “helping”. Baden took great pride in his title of lookout and opted for a hearty “caw caw, caw caw!” warning call whenever he heard his mother’s footsteps drew near. Arianna would then run at her mother and distract her while Blue and MJ rushed to hide any incriminating evidence and try not to look too suspicious.   
“Look at me Mom! Watch me!” the little orc would cry as she started dancing around the living room. “Watch me Mommy! Watch!”   
“I’m watching you, baby,” Zelda laughed and Blue and MJ would sigh in relief. Blue would then shake his head and chuckle. It had been a fun few days with his kids. They might not have been all that subtle, but they sure were willing. 

“Blue!” Zelda gasped as they pulled in front of the restaurant. “What is all this?”  
“Surprise baby,” Blue grinned as the valet came to open her door. “You like it?”   
“I don’t know what to say,” Zelda said at the valet took the truck. “This certainly isn’t O’Flannery’s.”   
“I figured I’d upgrade a little since y’know, we’ve been married twenty years,” he said and she wrapped his arm around his. It earned him a grateful kiss on the cheek. Blue mentally pumped his fist.   
Okay, so far so good.   
But it turned out that his good fortune wasn’t meant to last as a few minutes later an uninterested looking elf told them that she had no record of his reservations.   
“It’s for Carlyle,” Blue said. “Blue Carlyle.”   
The elf girl glanced down at the screen in front of her boredly and then looked back up at him.   
“Try Max Carlyle then,” Blue said. It wasn’t often that he used his given first name. Even Zelda rarely used it, but he found he couldn’t remember what name he had given when he’d booked the reservation. This combined with the uninterested expression of the elf girl was making him feel not only frustrated but something else. Small. It reminded him of the days when everyone refused to let him train in his gym or even before that when his mother used to come out of his drunken stupor just long enough to tell him what a miserable little waste she thought he was. It had been a long time since he’d felt like that. A good career and a strong marriage had built his confidence up considerably. He wasn’t going to pretend that it had been all sunshine and rainbows since then but that was the maddening thing about being an orc. It didn’t seem to matter what you did, the name you made for yourself, or the things you had accomplished. Sometimes, in the end, you were just an orc, a weird looking, slow, dullwitted mother fucker in everyone else’s eyes and there was often very little you could do about it.   
Blue took a breath, his nostrils flaring. His anger was mixing with panic. He could see the excited light in Zelda’s eyes fading a little as it began to appear that their special night was going to be canceled. No, no, Blue thought to himself. Don’t give up yet baby! It’s still our special night! He decided then to pull a card that he’d promised himself he wouldn’t pull. Still, desperate times called for desperate measures.   
“Look, there has to be something under Carlyle for tonight. I called and made the reservation myself and I’m not an idiot. Do you know who I am?”   
The elf girl gave him a very long stare that suggested Blue was not the first person to come in and cause drama. The stare also seemed to say that it wouldn’t matter if Blue was the Queen of England, the Dalai Lama, or Beyonce herself, there was no way she would budge. Then she heaved a big sigh which eerily reminded Blue of the ones that MJ often did right before he began a lengthy monologue, the context of which basically implied that he thought Blue was a big fool.   
“Look, sir,” she began and Blue had the strangest sensation that she was putting the term sir in air quotes. “I don’t doubt that you think you made a reservation at this restaurant for tonight but the fact is, there no record of a Carlyle anywhere on tonight’s list. This place has been booked for days now and there’s very little chance of getting a table now. I’m sorry but there’s nothing else I can do. I don’t know what to tell you.”   
“But I made the reservation!” Blue growled.   
“I’m telling you, you didn’t.”   
“I want to talk to the manager.”   
“The manager is busy at the moment. I doubt he’ll be able to speak to you for a while.”   
“I’m not leaving without a table!”   
Blue could hear his heartbeat thudding in his ears. At that point, the other people who were waiting for their table had quieted down and were looking at him with a mixture of amusement and unrest. Blue looked around wildly for anyone he could commiserate with, anyone who would agree that this snobby hostess wasn’t being ridiculous, but no such person presented themselves. There was not another orc in sight. There weren’t even any other humans either, just a bunch of dour looking elves that were looking skeptically at Blue and giving Zelda a look that said, I’m glad that’s not my husband.   
“Blue, please,” Zelda appeared at his arm, tugging it gently. “There’s no need to get upset. I’m sure this is just a big misunderstanding. We can go somewhere else.”   
“Baby, no, this is our special night,” Blue responded softly. He turned back to the hostess and added hotly, “And no one is going to ruin it.”   
Eventually, the manager appeared, a snooty looking elf with wild purple hair.   
“What seems to be the problem, sir?”   
“The problem is that your hostess seems to have lost record of my reservation and doesn’t seem interesting in trying to find it!” Blue roared. “I know I made it too. My son hand-picked this place thinking it would be great! This is not how I’d planned on spending my twentieth wedding anniversary!”  
The manager gave him a long stare that was quite similar to the one the hostess had given. Then he tapped wildly at the hostess screen before glancing back up at Blue with cold, pale eyes.   
“Unfortunately, I haven’t found any record of your reservation either, sir.”   
Blue snorted.   
“I feel like I’m going crazy!” he bellowed. “I know I made it! Is this how you treat your orc patrons, not that any orc would want to be caught dead here with all the nasty looks I’m getting! The fuck are you looking at lady?”   
The elf woman he addressed recoiled.   
“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to lower your voice!” the manager said. His eyes had widened and he was glancing around nervously as if he had never been spoken to in such a tone in his life.   
“Oh, yeah or what? Lemme guess you’ll call the cops? You’d like that wouldn’t you?”   
“Blue, really!” Zelda exclaimed and Blue fell silent. It wasn’t often that Zelda raised her voice but when she did, you paid attention. She gave Blue a stern look and then turned to the manager, her face earnest and apologetic.   
“I’m sorry to cause such a fuss,” she said. “Clearly there must be some error in your system because I believe that my husband really did make a reservation here. It’s our wedding anniversary and he was trying to do a nice thing by surprising me with your restaurant, which really looks lovely by the way. It’s a shame that we won’t be able to eat here, but really, I don’t want to cause any more trouble. I do beg your pardon. Come on, Blue.”   
She took her husband by the arm and made to leave and Blue, embarrassed and slightly ashamed, big chest still hitching from how worked up he’d become was happy to follow her. And then something amazing happened. The manager sighed, his narrow shoulders sagging. He seemed to pause in thought for a moment as if fighting some inner battle and then he spoke in a tired but relinquishing voice.   
“No need to ruin such a special night I suppose,” he sighed.   
Blue and Zelda looked at each other in surprise.   
“I’m sorry?” Zelda asked.   
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,” the manager said. “Let me see what I can do. Would you two please have a seat while I try and find you a table?”   
Blue and Zelda looked at each other again, blinking confusedly, then without a word, they both sank on to the cushioned bench as the manager disappeared into the restaurant. The hostess opened her mouth then closed it again, likely just as confused as they were. Everything was very quiet for a few moments before the other patrons began to strike up conversation with each other again, no doubt whispering about the last few moments’ events. Blue was too ashamed to hear them.   
“I’m sorry babe,” he said. “I don’t know what came over me.”   
“You’re probably just hungry,” Zelda said, patting his arm. She was giving him a small, encouraging smile that seemed to signal that she forgave him.   
“You’re probably right,” Blue agreed sheepishly as his stomach growled. Lunch seemed like a million years ago. He took off his hat and dabbed at his brow with a handkerchief, trying to calm his nerves. Zelda rubbed his bicep soothingly.   
Twenty minutes later the sullen hostess was showing them a table.   
“Your waitress will be right with you,” she said, unable to take her eyes off her shoes. She rushed away before either of them could reply.   
“Poor girl,” Zelda said sympathetically.   
“I can’t believe we got a table!” Blue marveled as he grabbed a menu.   
“I know, especially after you almost got us arrested!” she teased, nudging him playfully.   
A blush crept over Blue’s face.   
“Sorry about that again,” he said. “You’d probably be bailing me out tomorrow morning if you hadn’t stepped in. How do you do it?”   
“Do what?”   
“Defuse tension. You’ve been able to calm anyone down no matter how angry since I first met you. It’s like a magic power or something?”   
It was Zelda’s turn to blush as she waved him off, but the truth was undeniable. Zelda had always been able to get a handle on things, whether it was the beginnings of a drunken fight between Blue and another orc when they’d been young, MJ and Baden over who got to control the TV remote, or contracts involving lawyers and managers during Blue’s career. Blue guessed it was something do with Zelda’s face: her wide, keen eyes and the smile that lit up her whole face. When she looked at you and spoke at you, you felt looked after, cared for, and respected. Blue often teased Zelda by asking if she was magical, perhaps a witch in disguise or even a Bright. Zelda fervently denied it and Blue would assure her that he was only joking, but he couldn’t always be completely sure. Tonight was one of those nights.   
“You’ve always saved my butt,” he said to her then and grasped her hand. “Thanks for that babe.”   
“Well, I happen to love that big blue butt,” Zelda laughed. They shared a quick kiss and then glanced a the menu.   
“You should order the duck,” Blue suggested casually after a beat. “I’ve heard it’s really good here.”   
“Oh, really?” Zelda chuckled. “Just some word of mouth?”   
“Of course!” Blue said and looked so serious in an attempt to not appear suspicious that Zelda snorted.   
“I think that sounds delicious,” she smiled. “Do you know what you’re gonna get?”   
“The beef rib bourguignon sounds good,” Blue replied as his yellow eyes scanned the menu. “And I wouldn’t mind a taste of those oysters either.”   
“It sounds divine honey,”   
“Then it’s settled,” Blue nodded as he closed his menu. Then he groaned and rubbed his stomach as it began to growl again. “I hope it all comes quickly. I could eat a horse!”   
*

“Oh, honey don’t worry about it! It was a lovely adventure and it’s always good to try something new even if it doesn’t go as planned.” Zelda patted Blue’s knee as they drove.   
In a word, the food had been: meh.   
Zelda’s duck had been dry and Blue’s bourguignon had been tiny. They waited for around forty-five minutes for their meal while Blue’s stomach made almost monstrously. Finally, after the orc had consumed their third basket of bread, their food arrived. Blue’s order of oysters turned out to be five sad, tiny little things sitting in their own lukewarm juice on the plate. Still, Blue had eaten it all so quickly that he hardly remembered what any of it had tasted like, though he did recall being underwhelmed. Zelda ate her duck without a word of complaint but Blue could smell her dissatisfaction. The price of the bill had shocked him out of his disappointed stupor and even after the manager had discounted the meal after hearing their complaints, Blue’s head was still spinning. He was now feeling dispirited. Zelda knew this and was doing her best to console him.   
“Chin up sweetheart,” she soothed, just she had told him after a particularly hard fight in the ring. “It’s just one dinner.”   
“Yeah, but it was our special anniversary dinner,” Blue moaned.   
“I had a lovely time!” Zelda insisted. “I got to spend an entire romantic dinner with my most favorite guy in the world! What could be better than that?”   
Blue leaned into her touch. He almost wanted to call off the next activity but a small part of him still had hope that it could turn the evening around.   
“This isn’t home,” Zelda remarked confusedly as he pulled into the parking lot of their favorite park.   
“I may have planned something else for us tonight,” Blue said as he opened his door. He supposed any other wife might have demanded to go home. No way, she’d say. After what you just put me through? I don’t think so, Mister! Take me home now! But an instant grin of delight spread across Zelda’s face and it was such a genuine reaction that Blue could’ve cried.   
“What?” she squealed happily. “There’s more?”   
“Uh, huh,” Blue nodded, encouraged. “Look over there.”   
He pointed a little way across the park where a beautiful horse-drawn carriage decorated with flowers sat waiting for them. On the side of the carriage door was a sign that read “I Love You” on it. The coachman was a young orc who held the reigns of a beautiful mare with a honey-colored mane with more flowers braided into it.   
“Oh, Blue!” Zelda cried, slapping her hands over her mouth, little tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. “You’re too much!”   
“Oh, please woman,” Blue protested and then grinned when she wrapped her hands around her neck and peppered his cheek with kisses.   
Upon arriving at the carriage, they found that there was another orc sitting in the carriage, waiting for them.   
“Hi,” Zelda said shyly as she and Blue climbed in with him. The other orc was wearing a tuxedo with a red rose in the buttonhole.   
“Zelda Carlyle?” the orc questioned and grinned when Zelda nodded. “Your husband wanted me to serenade you a little with a couple of songs as a way of expressing how much he loves you.”   
Zelda’s head snapped to Blue, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt. Blue simply kissed her temple. The orc driver flicked his horses’ reins that the carriage began to move forward. Zelda snuggled into her husband’s arms as the other orc opened his mouth to sing. Zelda closed her eyes and nuzzled her head onto her husband’s arm. She wanted to relax and take it all in. Blue nuzzled the top of her head with his nose and breathed in her scent.   
Not too bad Carlyle, not too bad. We were off to a rocky start at first, but we seem to be pulling through.   
He too closed his eyes to better take it all in. He sighed happily into his wife’s hair as the orc in the carriage with them uttered his first note. 

Neither Blue or Zelda had ever heard such a terrible sound in all their lives. Not even when they used to watch recordings of American Idol together shortly after MJ had been born. Not even when any of their three children had gone through their terrible twos. Not even when Blue had once cracked one of the ribs of his opponents in the ring. At least that guy had the dignity of curling up in a ball and quietly weeping, Blue mused. The noise that burbled up from the orc’s mouth sounded like a cross between an infant Arianna’s wailing over not wanting to take a bath and the sound Blue had made when he had accidentally stubbed his toe on the coffee table some weeks before, so hard that it had bruised. When eventually, his ears stopped ringing Blue was able to discern that the orc was singing a so-called rendition of Oh Holy Night and seemed to be channeling a one Mariah Carey in her prime, a very odd choice for a summer evening. Blue wondered if anyone else in the park might phone the police for fear that the orc singer was suffering from some sort of medical emergency. The first shrill note had been enough to startle the horse, who had bucked forward, sending the carriage forward too which a lurch. Blue and Zelda gripped the carriage’s seat to steady themselves while the orc driver tried to calm his nervous horse with a “Woah, woah there girl”. The orc singer seemed both undeterred and unaware of the commotion he was causing and went on. Blue felt as if he might spontaneously combust from embarrassment. He dared sneak a peek at his wife who was gazing at the orc with a mixture of pity and wonder. The orc singer made it through the rest of Oh Holy Night and well into Barry White’s Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Baby, admittedly a more appropriate choice, when the orc driver had finally had enough.   
“Look, man, no disrespect, but no more singing,” he begged. “You’re kind of scaring my horse.”   
The orc singing gave him a reproachful look before turning to Zelda and Blue. At the sight of their bemused faces, the orc scowled.   
“I don’t need this man,” he growled. “I almost went to Julliard.”   
He then hopped out of the carriage and stalked off into the darkness leaving the carriage’s occupants in a stunned silence.   
“Like hell he did,” the driver scoffed before flicking the reins. “My horse has better chances than that poser.”   
Blue slapped his forehead. Zelda grinned. 

At the end of the carriage ride, Blue and Zelda walked back to the truck in silence, each afraid to say anything to the other.   
“Goddammit!” Blue cursed, making Zelda jump.   
The truck had a flat.   
*

“Feeling better?” Zelda asked.   
Blue nodded and licked the barbecue sauce off his fingers. They were at home now and after making a quick stop at O’Flannery’s to pick up their some of their favorite dishes, they had settled on the couch to dig in. Blue had found it easier to think with more food in his stomach which was a good thing as he had been dangerously close to a break down by the time he’d gotten the truck’s flat tire changed. Zelda drove them to O’Flannery’s and then home and watched him closely as he ate. The big orc seemed much better.  
“I’ve got one more surprise if you can bear it,” he finally mumbled.   
“If I can bear it?” Zelda giggled. “What do you mean? I’ve been loving all of your surprises.”   
“Hopefully, this one won’t disappoint,” Blue muttered as he reached into his pocket to pull out a small box. Inside was a fat diamond on the end of a thin silver chain. “Happy anniversary Zelda. I love you so much.”   
“It’s gorgeous,” she breathed and then kissed him. “I love it.”   
Then she peered at his deflated expression.   
“What’s wrong?”   
“I dunno,” Blue said flatly, his wide shoulders slumping. “I just wish tonight had gone better. We had it all planned out, y’know? Me and the kids. Like that singer guy, I swear he seemed talented on his Youtube channel. Must have doctored the video somehow. I just for once wanted everything to be perfect for you, not just for our anniversary but… for everything. I wanted to thank you for everything.”   
“What do you mean for everything?” Zelda said raising an eyebrow.   
“For everything,” Blue took her hands in his own. “Zelda this life we’ve lived together, I know it hasn’t been easy and I feel like that’s kinda on me…And yet through it all, you’ve been this amazing, patient partner, and you’ve always been so confident in me, like you never doubted me for a second, even though most days I feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. So, yeah, after twenty years I guess I just wanted to say thank you for loving me, for helping me through,”   
His voice got very small.   
“...For making me a father… I don’t know why Jirak thought a big lug like me should be blessed with such a wonderful wife but gods, do I feel lucky.”   
Zelda was beaming.   
“I think it’s time I have your gift now,” she said and got up and trotted to the living room. Blue watched as she trotted off out of the living room. When she returned she too was holding a little box.   
“Thank you for all those lovely words sweetheart,” she said as settled back down beside him. “And let me start by saying that I thought tonight was perfect. The fact that you and the kids worked together and planned this whole evening with me in mind just speaks to how much you love me. And as for how the evening went, it was surprising, adventurous, and fun, a lot like our whole lives as a couple. I never knew where it would lead but I was always along for the ride ad the results did not disappoint.”   
“Even though the duck was dry and the singer was terrible?”   
“Honey, you hired someone to serenade me while we rode in a carriage, how many wives can say they had that experience?”   
“It certainly was an experience…” Blue chuckled.   
“Exactly,” Zelda agreed with a grin. “Oh, Blue, I knew when I married you, hell I knew after our first date that our life together would be a little crazy. But that’s why I’ve loved it, I’ve never been bored and I’ve learned so many wonderful things. And baby, you’ve never made me feel unappreciated. I don’t know if you realize this, but you thank me every day.”   
Blue chuckled sheepishly.   
“I do?”   
“Yeah,” Zelda nodded. “That fact that you don’t even realize you’re doing it is just one of the many things I adore about you. You’re sort of selfless Blue. You always have other people in mind. You’re so adorably generous sweetheart. You always have been.”  
Blue blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He was suddenly feeling a bit bashful.   
“Thank you honey bear for being such a good husband and for tonight and for everything too,” Zelda said as she kissed him. “Look at this wonderful world we’ve created for ourselves. I knew we’d have it one day.”   
She then handed him his present. Inside a long black box was a silver Victorinox Swiss Army watch. On the back was engraved “Through thick and thin. For always. Love Z”.   
“I love you so much, Mama,” Blue purred in her ear after he had slipped it on.   
“I love you too my bear,”   
He pulled her into his lap as they began to kiss. Long, slow, hard kisses that seemed to have the sum of their twenty years as a couple within them. Blue’s big rough hands cupped her ass and squeezed gently as Zelda nipped his chin and neck. Blue was just thinking about carrying Zelda to their bedroom when they heard a small shuffling behind them.   
“What are you doing up, little one?” Zelda laughed as she climbed off her husband’s lap.  
“I just wanted to know how your date went,” Ari yawned, shuffling forward in her purple footie pajamas.   
“It went very well,” Zelda said as her daughter climbed into her lap. “Daddy and I had a great time. And I heard that you and your brother helped him plan the whole thing.”   
“Mmm hmm,” Ari said, sleepily rubbing her yellow eyes. Zelda and Blue shared knowing smiles. The little orc wouldn’t stay awake for long. “What did you do?”   
“Well,” Zelda began softly. She scooped her little girl up and began carrying her back to her room as Blue followed behind them. “Your father yelled at a hostess for me. He was very brave.”   
“Mmm hmm,” Ari muttered again, her eyes already closed as her head rested on her mother’s shoulder.   
“Your mother sat through ten excruciating minutes of Oh Holy Night,” Blue chuckled. “I didn’t know the song was that long.”   
“It’s not,” Zelda giggled.   
Ari didn’t hear either of them. She was already fast asleep.


End file.
